Normanby House

Jacie Whittaker always wanted to run a care home of her own and now she is relishing the opportunity as Home Manager at Normanby House.

She worked her way up the ranks with Saint Cecilia’s Care Group before taking on the role she relishes.
“It is a real pleasure and privilege to be responsible for the whole of the operation, the residents and the staff, I really enjoy it,” she says.

Born in Scarborough, Jacie brought with her years of experience of working in other care settings around the area when she joined us as a Care Assistant. Since then, she has worked her way up to the roles of Team Leader, Deputy Manager and now Home Manager, across Saint Cecilia’s.
She had seen firsthand the care her grandma had received, following a stroke, and believed there had to be something better.

Her number one priority is creating a safe and loving home for the residents, where their physical, mental and emotional care is paramount.
“We never forget that this is their home, not ours and we are there to look after them,” she says.

She is always happy to support the staff during their shifts, especially if it frees up other carers to give the residents the one-to-one time with the staff that they love.
“We are providing personal, individual care to the residents, so it is important that they feel valued, the centre of everything we do and giving them time, getting to know them well, is a really important part of that,” adds Jacie.
“We want to know what makes them happy and what might unsettle them, for example. What works for one, might not work for another, but you only get to know that from giving a person time.
“Maintaining a happy, settled and motivated team of staff to achieve that is also key.”
For Jacie, a perfect day at Normanby House is one where all the residents are happy and contented and the staff are happy too.

Gemma Prew became a Care Assistant because she wanted to ‘give something back’ to the people she looks after.

“The older and vulnerable adults that we look after have given so much to us and to our country and I always thought I wanted to give back to them,” she says. “I have always had a caring nature and found that working in the care profession is the perfect job for me – I just absolutely love it!”

After a couple of years as a mobile carer, Gemma joined Normanby House earlier this year and has loved the opportunity to spend more quality time with the people in her care.

“I really enjoy it at Normanby. There’s a great atmosphere, very welcoming and a great team spirit – everyone is working hard and doing their best to provide the best care for the residents.

“To be able to get to know someone, spend time with them and help them to stay happy and independent is a real privilege,” she says.

Her role as part of the care team, is to provide the hands-on care our residents need, from getting up and dressed in the morning, enjoying mealtimes, activities and outings, to going to bed again at night, and everything in between.

After 15 years with Normanby House, Chef Manager, David Higgins knows a thing or two about providing delicious, nutritious food for our residents.

He has spent all his working life in catering and loves the interaction with the residents at Normanby.

“We are very lucky here at Normanby because the kitchen is right next to the dining room so we can pop in and out and have a chat with the residents during mealtimes,” he says. “It also means that they or their relatives can drop in and talk to us, which is lovely.

“Food is really important at Normanby, the residents look forward to mealtimes when they can have something nice to eat and enjoy a chat and a laugh with their fellow residents and the staff. It is a social occasion.”

“This is our residents’ home so it is our job to make sure they have something they will enjoy eating,” he adds. “We always have a couple of choices but even then, if someone comes down and doesn’t fancy either, we will make them something else. I always say, ‘If I can make it for you, I will’.

Years of experience help him to ensure each individual resident gets the right food, prepared to any likes or dislikes and dietary requirements, where appropriate. That can mean, for example, different textures of food, for those who might start to find eating difficult or ensuring a resident has fortified food when they need building up.

“All the residents are different and that is part of the enjoyment of cooking for them,” adds David. “At the end of the day providing food is like everything we do here, it is about treating people as individuals and with care and respect.”